Mr Samaras called ERT "sinful" and a "wasteful" hotbed of political patronage.

He said the move was necessary to hit public sector layoff targets set by Greece's EU and IMF lenders.

After a series of meetings, MPs from the Democratic Left said they could no longer be a part of the government although they may still support legislation.

The leftist party's departure is a blow to the conservative prime minister.

His three-seat majority will make it more difficult to pass unpopular reforms demanded by foreign lenders and embolden the hard left opposition.

Samaras vows to continue without Democratic Left support

In a defiant address to Greeks after midnight, Mr Samaras said he was ready to press ahead without the leftists if necessary.

"I want us to continue together as we started but I will move on either way," he said in a televised statement.

His spokesman, Simos Kedikoglou, said Mr Samaras had sufficient majority "to lead the country out of the crisis".

After initially refusing to restart ERT, Mr Samaras said on Thursday he had offered during talks with his allies to rehire about 2,000 workers at a new broadcaster, a compromise accepted by PASOK but rejected by the Democratic Left.

"We will no longer have black screens on state TV channels but we are not going to return to the sinful regime," he said.

The Democratic Left had insisted that all workers be rehired, saying the issue at stake was far bigger than state television broadcasts and about protecting democracy and the rule of law.